We’re almost there, guys. 2016 is almost over, and hopefully we can all enjoy a small bit of relief over that fact before 2017 comes up and sucker-punches us with its own particular existential shitshow. But even with all the awfulness of the last twelve months, there were some bright spots. I got my first comic story selected for publication. I got engaged. And as always, there has been some tremendous art from incredible artists to guide me and inspire me and lay the groundwork for how to face the world. So, in lieu of a normal Favorites list, I decided to write up the artists that helped me get through the ugliness of 2016.

There is a lot of talk nowadays about diversity and representation in media, something that sometimes seems heightened in geek-centric pop culture that (more than most) has primarily only catered to straight white men/boys. And while there are many areas of geekdom that could still stand to improve in this area, one medium that is more and more leading the diversity charge is comics. The medium has seen a boom of diverse representation in the last few years, which in spite of the protestations of some hardline trolls is nothing but good news for both the artform and its audience. And while all of the major comics publishers have made great strides in these areas, perhaps the most stark change for me has been with DC Comics, who in many ways are running directly counter to what is expected of their brand to present diverse and original characters and series that everyone can (and should) enjoy. With San Diego Comic-Con set to kick-off on Thursday, I thought this would be a good time to appraise the comics industry for my fellow geeks, and DC’s diverse offerings seem like as good a starting place as any.